The Los Angeles Lakers (48-30) dominated the Oklahoma City Thunder (64-14) thanks to the help of Luka Doncic’s 30-point performance to lead LA past the league's No. 1-seed team on Sunday.
Austin Reaves recorded 20 points to join Doncic in double figures, and LeBron James added 19 points and seven assists.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 26 points, and Jalen Williams added another 16 for Oklahoma City. Chet Holmgren recorded 10 points but had a relatively quiet night against the Lakers’ bigs.
The difference in the game was the two squads' three-point shooting. The Lakers buried 22 threes, shooing a whopping 55% from beyond the arc, while the Thunder knocked down just 12 triples and shot 32% from long range.
Los Angeles just played a better game. They outrebounded Oklahoma City 60-37, tallied five more assists (25-20), and dominated despite giving up 15 turnovers.
Despite the loss, the Thunder remain two games ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the race for the No. 1 seed in the NBA. The Thunder will get their chance at redemption on Tuesday, April 8, when the Lakers retake the court against the Thunder.
